Cari Swanson

Judy Bradwell’s Tips for Buying a Horse

In choosing a horse there is no substitute for experience either acquired or ‘borrowed’.
If a vet is involved, so much the better, but always find one who is objective and
independent of the seller. The key is to find a horse that is suitable for both the rider
and its purpose.
Without a sound horse you have no horse, so in the selection process Soundness is
vital – don’t buy a horse which already has soundness problems as you can be sure to
encounter enough along the way!
When it comes to Conformation there are really 10 sections of the horse to consider,
in addition to Colour, (which should never be bad, but while chestnut mares have
dubious reputations some can be brilliant) and Type (meaning the horse should be
uphill and balanced and not be on their forehand, where they hit the ground too hard
to survive the rigours of training and competition).
• Head should be well-formed and intelligent with a big open eye, which is the
first thing one looks for.
• The horse should have a Good Front with the head and neck in proportion
and the head must sit correctly on a long rather than short neck.
• In Body the back should be short but not too short, and the chest and rib cavity
should be deep.
• Tail should be set well up the hind quarters and swing freely from side-to-side.
• Quarters should have plenty of width and strength.
• Hocks must be strong and well set, as competition horses put great weight on
the hind legs and hocks (look out for Thoroughpins – soft swelling on the
inside or outside of the hock; Spavins – bone enlargement on the side of the
hock; Curbs – a bony enlargement at the back of the hock. These all spell
weaknesses, though a false curb may be acceptable.).
• Front legs should not be light boned nor back at the knee. The knee itself
must be strong and flat and the pastern neither too short nor too long.
• Feet must be well-formed, matching and not too small, flat or upright.
• Wind must be clear and sound. A vet will confirm whether a horse has been
‘hobdayed’ or worse still ‘tied-back’, which are both operations to the larynx
aiding air flow.

• Teeth must meet correctly and be in reasonable condition. The teeth serve as
an accurate way to check the age of the horse.
Beyond Conformation the prospective buyer should look for a horse with good natural
Movement, while the horse’s Temperament is almost as important as its soundness.
Finding a horse with real natural Talent is something of an immeasurable, but look for
a horse with potential. Don’t be afraid to choose a horse in the rough, often
preferable to buying a dealer’s horse, turned out beautifully, which could be masking
a problem or flaw. Identify any Stable Vices upfront, be that Weaving – where the
horse moves from side-to-side, shifting weight from one foot to the other; Box
Walking – where the horse walks endlessly round the stable; Wind Sucking – where
the horse takes in air while sucking or biting the stable door; or Crib Biting – where
the horse bites on the door or other items in the stable. These can all adversely affect
the condition of the horse. Finally, there is Price which will be related to age,
experience, breeding, health and success. This must be related to affordability, both
the initial cost and the cost of training, maintaining, producing and competing.

Winter Riding

Winter Riding

Cache Jr. Walking the Plank Again

You can see how Cache Jr. is gaining more and more confidence walking the plank, he is very careful to put his feet on secure footing.  This kind of extreme training takes hours of practice and patience….it is amazing what you can teach your horse if you take the time to explain to him what you want and give him the opportunity to learn to have the confidence.

New Dressage Tests for Eventing

Learn the new USEA dressage tests for eventing before the season begins.  Practice at home and always train at a level above the one you plan to show.  Be prepared.  You will greatly improve your scores if you ride with confidence and determination.  I highly recommend riding the test on several different horses to confirm that it is automatic in your head so that if you are distracted on the day by wind, unruly horses in the next arena or equipment failure, you will carry on like a pro. Study hard and have fun!

Count Every Stride

You have heard it from many trainers-ride every stride.  This will eventually become automatic when you train yourself to count your strides.  One of my greatest teachers, Tony Mason, taught me to count the length and width of the arena.  He was adament about knowing the size of your arena and how to carve out space to work in when it was crowded with many horses.  I imagine he learned this years ago when he was trained by his Master in Europe, when riders had to navigate among dozens of horses in small arenas.  There was etiquette about how to pass one another and when to change direction.

If you learn to count the strides in your circles, you will eventually learn how to ride a perfect circle.  This is not as easy as you might expect.  I start all my students whether children or adults learning to count and it pays off quickly as they progress up the levels.

This image is of Ashley Cox riding Classy, winning the dressage test at Kent Horse Trials.  If you are interested in lessons or have any questions, contact cari@cariswanson.com.

Conditioning Your Horse

As Spring approaches, the show season is just around the corner.  Now is the time to consider a program to bring your horse to optimum condition considering your discipline of dressage, jumping or eventing.  It is critical to consider the age and amount of activity your horse has had in order to create an effective plan of conditioning.  Horses who are turned out need a shorter warm up than those standing in their stall or small paddock.  A progressive warm up allows time for the muscles to reach their optimal working temperature (during warm up the muscles rise by about 1 degree C) before increasing the excercise intensity.

After a warm up phase, move into the workout which pushes to horse just beyond his ability to build muscles and stamina.  It is important to work the trot and canter in an active rhythm, thus working the skeletal muscles hard enough to stimulate an increase in blood circulation.  The main objective is to achieve relaxation in all gaits.  Next should come the suppling excercises of lateral and bending movements.  Remember wet saddle blankets make good horses.

Finally, an important element of your conditioning is the warm down period.  This is a time to allow the horse to recover from the workout and helps him release muscular tension and possible soreness.  A walk on the long rein is a great finish to this workout.  Slowly build your horse back up to his optimal fitness, allowing several weeks to reach your goal.  Careful systematic training will help build solid muscles and a happy fit horse.

Lessons at Windrock Farm

I have been taking dressage lessons with Cari on and off over several years. Although I ride on my own and with trainers in other disciplines, I love to come back to Cari on a regular basis to take advantage of her keen eye, insightful critique, creative exercises, and diverse group of well-trained horses.

Cari always quickly finds the minor (and sometimes major!) irregularities in my body and posture that I was forgetting. She is very clear in pointing out how those problems are affecting the movement of the horse. She is rigorous and demanding, but maintains a sense of humor, making lessons invigorating and fun.

Cari has an amazingly broad repertoire of exercises and metaphors to draw upon, and I find she can always find a fresh way to explain what I am doing right and wrong. Sometimes it is that fresh explanation that makes all the difference in learning! Because of her own experience under a variety of instructors and in several disciplines, Cari has many different methods of teaching to draw upon. Lessons are never repetitive and dull. I can count on Cari to pull out a new and interesting challenge just when I need it!

The diversity of horses available for lessons is also helpful to me. Riding a horse with different movement and different “buttons” from my own horse is guaranteed to help me be more balanced, precise and deliberate as a rider. I value being able to learn from her schoolmasters, who are, after all, great teachers themselves.

-Ona Kiser
Sharon, CT

Rewards and Punishments

You must always be patient when training your horse.  There will be moments when you must resort to punishment if there is obstinate resistance, however, when it is necessary, the rider must remain calm and firm.  D’Endrody reminds us to smile or whistle prior to taking any disciplinary action to ensure that there is no anger in his mood.  By simple means, he can very successfully control and check himself, and thus endow his measures with real educational value, which after all , it is the purpose of the punishment.  You will then be justly rewarded with a happy horse who understands what you are asking him to do.